tvN released a special video on its official YouTube channel on January 1st to commemorate the network’s upcoming 20th anniversary.
The montage highlighted the channel’s most iconic content, featuring beloved dramas like Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, Lovely Runner, My Mister, Reply 1997, Hospital Playlist and Bon Appétit, Your Majesty.
However, fans quickly noticed that the video was missing one of the network’s biggest hits, Queen of Tears.
The drama, starring Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won, holds the record for the highest viewership rating in tvN history (24.9%). Despite its massive success, it was completely absent from the anniversary reel.
Industry observers and netizens speculate that the exclusion is due to the ongoing controversy surrounding the show’s lead actor, Kim Soo Hyun.
Last March, allegations surfaced claiming Kim had been in a six-year relationship with the late actress Kim Sae Ron, starting when she was a minor. Kim’s side denied the claims and launched a legal battle against the YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute, which has been speaking on behalf of the late actress’s family.
Despite Kim Soo Hyun denying the allegations, public sentiment turned sour. Boycott movements led to Kim disappearing from several advertisements, and his upcoming Disney Plus series Knock Off was indefinitely postponed. The actor has not made a public appearance since an emergency press conference on March 31st of last year.
Online reaction to the video has been mixed. Many fans expressed confusion and frustration, with comments like, “It’s hard to understand why the highest-rated work in history was excluded,” and “Couldn’t they have at least included scenes with just Kim Ji Won?”
Others, however, felt the decision was inevitable given the scandal. “I think I know why it was excluded,” one user wrote, while another noted, “It’s not just one or two works that were left out.”
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